"This… this is!"
"Whitebeard's ability."
"It really is the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit."
"What did Blackbeard do? How could he obtain Whitebeard's power?!"
The entire world was struck dumb.
It was common sense, an unshakable law, that a person could only possess a single Devil Fruit ability. Just like one plus one equaled two, it could never become three.
And yet, Blackbeard stood there wielding the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
How had he seized Whitebeard's ability?
If this method became known…
Countless ambitious individuals across the world began breathing heavily, their thoughts spiraling far beyond those of ordinary people.
"Zehahaha~"
"What magnificent power."
Blackbeard laughed wildly, one hand wrapped in roiling darkness, the other surrounded by a trembling air-pressure field. The war at Marineford had momentarily halted. Marines, the Whitebeard Pirates, and remnants of the Revolutionary Army all understood one thing clearly.
The balance of the world was about to collapse.
After this war, Blackbeard's name would echo across every sea.
"Teach, what did you do to Pops?!"
Marco roared, his eyes bloodshot with fury.
"Newgate was never meant to die at the hands of the Marines," Blackbeard said calmly, spreading his arms as if declaring sovereignty. "He will serve as the stepping stone that carries me to the peak of this world."
"Marco, Jozu, Vista," Blackbeard continued, voice dripping with ambition, "now that Newgate and Ace are dead, serve under me. I will lead you to glory."
His words rang out like an emperor issuing a decree.
"Teach," Vista said quietly, gripping his swords, memories flooding back, "Ace was right. Your ambition truly knows no bounds."
After Ace had joined the crew, he had gotten along with everyone, except Blackbeard. From the beginning, Ace alone had harbored hostility toward him.
In truth, Blackbeard had left early because of Ace.
As Blackbeard, Marco, Sengoku, and the Revolutionary Army hesitated, Lucien shifted his attention to the rest of the battlefield.
Luffy was still locked in a savage struggle with Akainu.
Franky, Robin, Nami, and Chopper were battered and disheveled.
More importantly, Silver Dragon was nowhere to be found.
Lucien had sensed him beneath the abyss earlier, but now his presence had vanished entirely.
Lucien did not believe Silver Dragon was dead. Someone with cheats like that would not fall so easily. Most likely, he was hiding and recovering.
"Captain, we need to stick to the plan."
Lucien adjusted the top hat on his head, revealing a twisted white smile beneath his disguise.
Blackbeard stiffened for a moment, coughed lightly, then turned away from Marco and the others without another word. He leapt straight into the abyss below.
Evil King, Burgess, and the rest followed immediately after.
Soon, only Lafitte, who was in truth Lucien Graves, remained behind.
"What else does Blackbeard plan to do?"
"Wait, could he be targeting Silver Dragon, Kizaru, and Aokiji?!"
Those present were not fools.
If Blackbeard could steal Whitebeard's power, then it was entirely possible he could steal again. And beneath the abyss lay three Admirals whose fates were unknown, all gravely injured by Whitebeard.
"You won't succeed!"
Sengoku erupted in rage. His body shone with golden Buddhist light as Conqueror's Haki surged across the battlefield, attempting to halt Blackbeard's group.
Even if the Admirals were not dead, they were certainly on the brink.
"Whitebeard Pirates, Revolutionary Army," Lucien spoke calmly, smiling beneath his disguise, "what are you waiting for? Don't you want to avenge Whitebeard and Ace?"
"Now is your chance to eliminate the Marines."
"Although Whitebeard ultimately fell at our captain's hands, the true cause of everything lies with the Marines."
"Revolutionary Army," Lucien continued, gaze turning toward Belo Betty's group, "are you truly going to let this opportunity slip away?"
Whether the Whitebeard Pirates continued fighting was uncertain, but Lucien knew one thing for sure.
The Revolutionary Army would not retreat.
"Kill!"
Just as Lucien anticipated, Belo Betty, commander of the Revolutionary Army's East Army, waved her flag. The power of the Pump-Pump Fruit ignited the fighting spirit of the soldiers around her.
"This chance cannot be wasted!"
"Kill them all!"
"Eliminate the Marines, restore freedom to the world!"
Exhausted soldiers found their hidden strength awakened. They charged forward with reckless, suicidal bravery, fearless of death.
"Marco, what should we do?"
The division commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates turned toward him.
"Avenge Pops and Ace."
Marco clenched his fists tightly.
This war existed because of the Marines. They would not retreat now.
"Kill!"
The Whitebeard Pirates surged forward once more.
The Marines were pushed to the brink again.
"Annihilate the pirates!"
"Annihilate the Revolutionary Army!"
"Justice will prevail!"
Bloodlust consumed the battlefield as chaos erupted once again.
Standing amidst rivers of blood and mountains of corpses, Lucien inhaled deeply. The stench of blood and gunpowder filled the air.
To his surprise, he enjoyed it.
The exhilaration, the chaos, the slaughter.
His expression revealed it clearly.
"I really am becoming more twisted," Lucien muttered, shaking his head as he regained his composure.
Now was not the time for reflection.
It was time to harvest.
With a swift movement, Lucien appeared near two familiar figures.
Nami and Robin.
The two women fought in perfect coordination, forcing back Marines despite their exhaustion. Their clothes were torn, hair disheveled, bodies slick with sweat and grime.
In a battlefield like this, beauty offered no protection.
Everyone here was driven mad by bloodshed.
Yet one woman still dominated the battlefield through allure alone.
Boa Hancock.
"Nami, are you alright?" Robin asked, crossing her arms to bloom limbs that crushed a Marine, her breath uneven.
"I can't go on anymore," Nami gasped, leaning on her Clima-Tact. "I'm exhausted."
This battlefield was far beyond what she was built for. She could only survive on the outskirts. Entering the core would mean instant death.
Stray attacks alone were lethal.
"Luffy has lost control," Robin said quietly, eyes fixed on the distance.
Luffy attacked Akainu relentlessly, ignoring his own injuries, as if he would not stop until one of them died.
Robin felt an unsettling dread.
If this continued, everyone might die here.
"What should we do?" Nami whispered, fear clawing at her heart.
Zoro, Chopper, Brook, Franky, all of them were exhausted.
Moon was already dead.
Gan might be next.
They had lost one companion already.
Nami was terrified of who would fall next.
"It will be alright," Robin said calmly, though what churned inside her heart was another matter entirely.
"You're right," a gentle voice said close to her ear, filled with warmth and familiarity, "everything will be alright."
Robin froze.
Lucien had appeared before her without warning, standing less than a decimeter away.
His amethyst eyes shimmered beneath the diamond patterns, reflecting perfectly in Robin's widened gaze.
They were deep, brilliant, and captivating, like distant stars suspended in the night sky.